Hey there Sian! Mind if I ask a few questions? (I'm gonna ask them anyway). I read your story One Crazy Moment and I loved it! It caught my eye because it had Eoin Macken on it so I decided to read it because . . . well . . . Eoin Macken.

1. What was your inspiration for One Crazy Moment?

2. Were any of the characters inspired or based on anyone that you actually know?

Hi, Sian! First off, a favor I wish somebody had done for me so I didn't get a friendly reminder from Alopex: remember to respond to all of your MTA questions in one post so you don't double-post. If you were already going to do that, please ignore me.

A few questions, if I may:

1 - If you had to pick a favorite genre to write, what would it be? Is it different from your favorite genre to read?

2 - Rubber Ducks and Eckeltricity - Where did you get the inspiration for that one? It was so adorable and a really unique idea!

3 - Who is your favorite character to write?

4 - Which character would you be terrified to try to write?

5 - Do you set aside a specific time to write each day or do you just write whenever the muse is upon you?

6 - You meet Professor McGonagall on a cruise ship and she takes pity on you, poor Muggle that you are, and offers to teach you three magical spells. Which ones and why?

7 - Do you spend a lot of time doing crosswords, brain teasers and other puzzles? Because you're pretty awesome at them.

I should stop there because 7 is the most magical number. Oops, I inadvertently came up with another question:

8 - If you could convince JKR to spare one character who died in the books, but she required you to select a replacement -- blood for blood -- who would live and who would die? No easy answers like, "save Fred and kill Lucius Malfoy", please.

-Dan

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You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be. - Albus DumbledoreMy Author Page (stories range from 15+ to M) - My MTA Page (12+)

I think my inspiration comes from everywhere - sometimes reading a book or watching a programme or film will spark something, and then at other times a word or phrase will just float into my head. But for some reason my inspiration always seems to be most active at night when I'm trying to sleep...

2- What is your writing style like?

I'm actually not really sure. Since I've started writing on HPFF, I've been trying to challenge myself to write in different genres and eras a lot more, and I think my writing style is different for each of those. My page is mostly filled with one-shots so hopefully when I finally get round to writing something longer, I'll develop a more individual writing style!

3- What is your favorite ship? Canon and non/ canon

I'm a massive fan of canon, and my OTP is James/Lily. For non-canon, the only one that I tend to read is Neville/Luna.

4- What made you start writing fanfiction?

I've been reading fanfiction since early last year and I eventually thought (like we all do) 'hey, maybe I can write as well'. Posting my first story was nerve-wracking but I love writing on this site and I feel like I'm really improving as a writer.

5- Who was your favorite Hogwarts professor?

Minerva McGonagall! She's such a strong woman and a powerful witch, plus I love how sassy she is to Umbridge in the fifth book.

6- If you could one character from Harry Potter who would it be and why?

That's a tough question! I think it would be fascinating to be McGonagall actually, because she was around for so many of the important events and always did her best to look after her students and do the right thing. She's a character I really admire, and who wouldn't want to be admired?

I'm with you all the way on Eoin Macken!

1. What was your inspiration for One Crazy Moment?

I remember thinking about some of the next gen characters who weren't written about very often and Molly and Lucy struck me as two of the least popular. Initially I actually had an idea for a story about Lucy, but when I tried to write it the story didn't work very well. But since I imagined Lucy as a more wild character, it followed that Molly was more Percy-ish. Molly's character was hanging around in my head for a while before I got an idea for the plot and started writing.

2. Were any of the characters inspired or based on anyone that you actually know?

There were elements of Molly's character that are very similar to mine. And I didn't actually realise at the time I was writing it, but Felicity is a mix of a few of my best friends.

3. Are you going to be starting another story soon?

Hopefully! I've been filling up my page with one-shots but I have some ideas for other longer stories that I'm hoping to start work on soon.

4. What's a plot that you want to write but you haven't written yet?

There are so many plots buzzing around in my head that I'll probably never get to write. I've had an idea for a next gen mystery and plenty more one-shots, so hopefully I'll get them written soon!

5. What are some of your favourite stories on HPFF?

There are far too many! I love most of the Best Of list and the Dobby winners. I'm currently reading Before They Fall by Jchrissy and The Seams by WeasleyTwins, and both are fantastic. On top of that, I'm guaranteed to enjoy anything written by Mistress, Beeezie, AC_rules.

6. Why do you write? (I know, I'm getting deep.)

I've written for as long as I've been able to, and I've always had story ideas floating round my brain. Writing's an escape, I suppose - I love creating stories and characters and seeing things happen the way I want them to when real life isn't like that.

Shelby!

1. What makes you a Gryffindor?

Loyalty, I think - I'm very protective of my friends. As I've got older I've grown in confidence and I've learnt to stand up for what's right.

2. What are some of your favorite books apart from HP?

I read a lot of the classics, and Wuthering Heights is one of my favourites. I also love all the books I've read by Victoria Hislop and Philippa Gregory.

3. What is your reviewing style?

Long and rambling I'm always certain that people are going to get bored reading my reviews but apparently I can't help myself from commenting on every single thing I notice in a chapter. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to start running out of characters soon...

4. What are some of your strengths as a writer? Weaknesses? Why?

Okay, this is a really difficult question, because I'm a real perfectionist and I feel like my writing is full of weaknesses and I'm not very good at anything! Maybe I'd say that the ability to turn a moment mentioned briefly in canon into a story is one of my strengths? And I think one of my weaknesses is the ability to persevere with a story and see something longer through to the end. I'm so self critical that often I get halfway through a story and then decide it's no good and give up. That's definitely something I have to work on!

5. What is your favorite thing about HPFF?

The sense of community. Everybody here is so friendly and I love the fact that even though members are from all over the world, we're all united by our love of HP.

6. Do you write original fiction? If so, what?

I've dabbled! Like I said earlier, I tend to decide what I've written is no good and give up on it. One of the things I'm hoping to improve on by writing fanfiction is the fact that I'm so self critical. The fact that I've received positive feedback from other people on my writing helps encourage me with that.

7. Why are you so awesome? Tell me something about you - an obsession or favorite food or something

I have a bit of an obsession with family history. Apparently it's not normal for someone my age (or so my friends tell me) but I love tracing back through generations and finding out where I've come from!

Hi Dan! Thank you for that advice, I really appreciate it!

1 - If you had to pick a favorite genre to write, what would it be? Is it different from your favorite genre to read?

Hmm, I actually love writing angst. I don't know why, because I'm not a very angsty person, but I really enjoy writing it. My favourite genre to read changes according to my mood, but it's normally different - romance or drama or even mystery sometimes!

2 - Rubber Ducks and Eckeltricity - Where did you get the inspiration for that one? It was so adorable and a really unique idea!

Thank you! There was actually a challenge about lessons up on the forums, but it got locked. I'd already had the idea for writing a story about Arthur in his Muggle Studies class, and it was so fun to write about that I went ahead and put it on the archives even though the challenge ended.

3 - Who is your favorite character to write?

Minor characters! There's so much to explore with them and even if they're not as popular to read about. Out of the characters I've written, I think Bertha Jorkins has been my favourite. I think it's the only story on the archives about her so far so I had a lot of freedom, but I grew oddly attached to her writing the HC story.

4 - Which character would you be terrified to try to write?

You can probably already guess this answer, but any major character! I'd get annoyed at myself if there was one tiny fact in my story that wasn't consistent with canon. Plus there are so many authors on this site who already write them brilliantly that my writing would just have to curl up in a ball and cry in comparison!

5 - Do you set aside a specific time to write each day or do you just write whenever the muse is upon you?

I really should set aside a specific time to write, but normally it's just when I have the inspiration. Maybe that's part of the reason that I don't have anything longer than a short story on my AP...

6 - You meet Professor McGonagall on a cruise ship and she takes pity on you, poor Muggle that you are, and offers to teach you three magical spells. Which ones and why?

Oh, this is a great question! Okay I'm going to go with the Hermione in me and say the Shield Charm, because then I could avoid people being nasty to me. Similarly the Patronus Charm, because I hate the idea of being near a Dementor and I'd also be really interested to see my Patronus, because I have no idea what it would be. Then I think I'd go for something fun like Rictusempra because I'd have a lot of fun annoying my friends with something like that!

7 - Do you spend a lot of time doing crosswords, brain teasers and other puzzles? Because you're pretty awesome at them.

I'm actually generally awful at any crossword I find in a paper! But I used to do a lot of sudokus and wordsearches when I was younger, and I still enjoy them when I get the chance to do them.

8 - If you could convince JKR to spare one character who died in the books, but she required you to select a replacement -- blood for blood -- who would live and who would die? No easy answers like, "save Fred and kill Lucius Malfoy", please.

You're too good at asking these questions, Dan! Okay, I'm going to say that I would save Fred and then kill off... Slughorn in his place. (Is that allowed? Slughorn's technically on the good side!)

Hello!

1. Have you ever had a moment that you were in the middle of something and just HAD TO GET AN IDEA OUT RIGHT THEN AND THERE?

Yes! This happens all the time, normally when I'm falling asleep or in the middle of a lecture or out with friends and nothing to write on. The last one-shot I wrote was one of those times when I just had to get the idea out - luckily I had my laptop nearby and I actually got it written, but I'm sure I've lost loads of stories by not being able to write them when I have the inspiration!

2. What's the weirdest thing that has inspired a story idea?

That's a difficult question! I'm not exactly sure what would be considered weird - I tend to get my inspiration from all over. But weird things in real life tend to inspire characters - there's an old man where I go to uni who seems to talk at me every time I go shopping with some completely random statement that makes no sense at all. I'm determined that he'll find a way into one of my stories one day!

3. Do you have writing rituals?

I'm not sure if they're actually rituals - I always have my ipod or some sort of music with me, even if I don't always play it when I write. Then whenever I start a new story, even if I don't have a title or summary for the story yet, I have to prepare my document with some centre-aligning and bold text.

4. Where is your favorite spot to write?

If it's sunny (which doesn't happen very often in England) I love sitting outside with a notebook and pen and scribbling away. Otherwise I like to curl up on my bed with my laptop and sit tapping away.

5. Do you understand just how wonderfully awesome you are?

I don't think I am, but thank you very much!

Thank you so much for your questions, everyone! I had a lot of fun answering them!

1. How do you write such beautiful descriptive pieces? (I am of course thinking about your lovely one-shot 'You. (Me.)')

Thank you! With that one-shot I concentrated a lot on description and imagery because it's such a short piece. I try and pick out some of the less used phrases but I mostly try and write the sort of descriptions that I love to read. There are some fantastic authors here who are really strong at description, and I've tried to take notes when I've been reading their work. I'm pleased it seems to be paying off!

2. Favourite How I Met Your Mother character?

Barney Stinson! He's got so many great catchphrases and he always makes me laugh.

3. Did you see the season 8 finale of HIMYM? What did you think of the final scene?! (I'm sorry, I am obsessed with that show )

Yes! I loved the final scene, although for some reason I thought that it was the last ever series and that they were just leaving it on a cliffhanger like that Once I worked out it wasn't, I got really excited about meeting the mother and I can't wait to see how all the questions get answered!

4. As I am a fellow Brit, what's your favourite thing about being British?

Oh, tough question! You've made me feel all patriotic now I love our sense of humour and the British mentality in general, and the fact that we don't take ourselves too seriously as well. Of course, I can't let this question pass without mentioning the weather - I think being British makes us truly appreciate good weather when we get it!

5. And to get this back on track to writing... what genre would you like to try your hand at next?

I've actually got quite a few different genres on my AP, but I think I'm going to attempt some humour next for the challenge piece, and after that I'm not sure. There'll definitely be some more angst coming up, but I'd really like to try writing some mystery as well.

Thanks for stopping by with these questions, Jenny! I really enjoyed answering them

Great question! Since I prefer reading canon stories I'm pretty sure I don't even know about most non canon ships, so I just had to look at the ship discussion section to find out what some of them are There are some really weird ships! Without wanting to offend anyone, I think I'd say ones like Sirius/Hermione or Bellatrix/Harry - how would they even work?! I'll stick with my canon for now, thanks

2. I know you love languages... so, out of Troll, Mermish, Gobbledegook, Runes, and Parseltongue *seriously evil witch here*, which one would you like to be able to speak and understand?

Can't I learn them all? Hmm, I think I'd say Runes because I'd like to be able to read stories and old magical texts. I think I'd get more use out of Runes than the other languages, although I'd probably choose Gobbledegook as a close second (because then I could talk to the Gringotts' goblins and get them on side )

1. Your favourite ship is James/Lily, right? Do you have a non-canon favourite pairing?

Hmm, that's a hard one because I tend to stick to canon more than anything. I'd probably say Neville/Luna, though, because I can picture them together as a couple

2. How long have you been writing? Do you write anything other than HP fanfiction?

I think I've always been writing. I remember reading a story I'd written about a sheep called Dolly to my reception class In the past few years I hadn't been writing as much because I'd kind of lost inspiration, but writing fanfiction has helped that! I've got a couple of OF ideas that I'm trying to plan out, but judging by the way past projects have gone I'm not sure if anything will come of them!

3. If you could do any job in the wizarding world what would it be and why?

I think I'd like to do something in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, working with witches and wizards from all around the world to organise events. Or maybe a magical travel writer so I could jet off (or Portkey) to exotic destinations

4. Who is your favouite character to read in HP?

I love the twins because of all the humour that they bring to the stories, but really I'd have to say Harry. We see all of the events from his perspective and I feel like I know him better than any of the other characters because of it.

5. Who is your favourite character to write?

Definitely minor characters! Out of the characters I've written about so far, I think I'd say Bertha Jorkins. There's so little information about her in canon and nothing really about her in fanfiction, so I had a lot of fun creating my own version of her character.

6. Are there any characters you wouldn't ever write?

Well, I don't want to rule characters out because I want to try and push myself to try different things. But I think it will be a while before I try one of the trio or someone like Dumbledore, because the idea of writing them is scary!

Hi Crystal!

1. Do you have an author or role model that inspired you to write? If so who?

It might be an easy answer, but I think I'd say JK Rowling. She created this whole universe that millions of people across the world have loved and become involved in, and I really admire her for that.

2. If you could change one thing and one thing only from HP cannon what would it be?

Fred's death. If I could change it, Fred wouldn't die because reading about that upset me so much and I hate the idea of George having to live without his twin.

3. How do you personally feel like you've grown as a writer since joining HPFF? ( I feel like I'm asking questions for a job interview )

I feel like I've grown massively. My first story now makes me cringe when I look at it (which is why it's been languishing at the bottom of my page in desperate need of some editing) but I think that since then my writing has improved a lot. There are some amazing writers on this site and reading and reviewing their stories has helped me pick up on techniques that I'm then able to use (though to nowhere near as much effect) in my own writing.

4. Besides canon shipping what is another favorite ship of yours to write?

I don't tend to write many different pairings because I'm not good at writing romance. If I was to write a pairing that differed from canon it would probably be Neville/Luna or a Next Gen couple,

Hello!

1. How in the world do you get inspiration for your one-shots? they are all so brilliant!

Thank you! A lot of the one-shots I've written have been inspired by challenges. I like taking obscure moments from canon that are only mentioned briefly and expanding them into a longer story.

2. What would your favorite Hogwarts subject be?

Probably Ancient Runes. I'm a languages student so I'd probably be in heaven learning the meaning of all those symbols and being able to read old texts

3. If you could get sucked into a HP book which would you chose and why?

Hmm, either the first or the seventh. I'd love to go along to Hogwarts with Harry and discover the magical world for myself. I'd also like to go to Hogwarts during the seventh book and help resist the Carrows (assuming I'd survive, that is) and see the reward for all the suffering at the end once the battle is over.

4. If you had a time-turner that would take you back to any time period you wanted (just for a day) Where would you be and what century?

Oh, that's a difficult question! At the moment I'm fascinated by Tudor history and I'd love to meet Catherine of Aragon and find out what she was like. I actually really admire her for staying true to what she believed in and I think it would be amazing to meet her. Only for a day, though, because I think it would be dangerous to stick around the Tudor court for much longer!

Thank you so much for all the questions! I really enjoyed answering them!